From the clean, light wood of the Richard Meier-designed dining room in the tony Beverly Wilshire Hotel to the rich, buttery complexity of the bone marrow custard appetizer, CUT, part of the Wolfgang Puck empire, offers a refined, urbane take on the classic steakhouse. That cultivation hits its apex with the veritable world tour of beef that makes up the brunt of the menu, the highlight of which is perhaps the marbled Japanese wagyu famous for its intense fatty flavor.

Since opening in 1984, this Beverly Hills spot – the flagship of a national chain – has been delivering a spirit of clubby elegance with its white tablecloths, dark wood, and impeccable, old school service. The quintessential steakhouse experience is completed with strong martinis, shrimp cocktail, tender filets, and a heaping serving of strawberry shortcake for dessert.

The menu at chef Suzanne Tracht’s hotspot is decidedly situated in the classic American chophouse milieu with her killer signature pot roast, a blue cheese dressed iceberg wedge, and the hugely popular banana cream pie. The atmosphere with its brown wood and decorative colored panels harkens back to the mid-century supper club. But despite these nods to the past, the food and hip elegance make Jar L.A.’s new school steak standby.

Excess is the M.O. at the ritzy Beverly Hills outpost of this small national chain. Decked-out couples engage in ardent people-watching while swilling stiff cocktails at the upstairs bar. Downstairs, diners begin an evening of indulgence first with a create-your-own iced seafood tower, before launching into thick cuts of blood-rare meat (the bone-in filet or ribeye are favorites) with a side of lobster mashed potatoes.

It’s all about the porterhouse at this Beverly Hills meat-mecca, which is modeled after the legendary Brooklyn steakhouse Peter Luger’s (owner Wolfgang Zwiener is a former Luger’s headwaiter.) At most tables in the simple, elegant dining room, power lunchers by day and well-heeled diners by night drool as their waiters collect the juices from the thick, buttery steaks, then pour it over the meat for true beef reverie.

Named for the Argentinean tango crooner, this handsome Mid-City steakhouse sings with South American flavor. A chimichurri laden rib-eye or a gut-busting mixed grill makes for a delicious rendezvous to Argentina, especially when accompanied by a glass of regional wine and the garlic papas fritas, which are some of L.A.’s best fries.